Brian Kameoka's blog

Shows to See in Sacramento, Jerry Montoya Edition

January is like theatre's "in like a lamb, out like a lion" month, as everyone recovers from they heyday of December holiday shows and many theatres go dark.  By then end of the month, all the stages are full again with new productions. 

I'm calling this the "Jerry Montoya Edition" because Jerry, B Street Theatre's Associate Producer, has a new show opening this weekend for B Street's Family Series, The Conductor: Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. He also wrote Nostros, La Gente which is one of eight plays by Sacramento playwrights in City Theatre's Old City Cemetary Plays, a festival of new works all set in Sacramento's Old City Cemetary.  I saw one evening of this show last week (each performance is a four-play set "A" or "B" of the eight plays in the project).  It's a really cool project, well produced by City Theatre who should be applauded for the efforts to produce new, local work in town.

Jerry must be one of the most prolific playwrights in the region, having written many scripts for B Street's Family Series (his Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is one of my favorites).  He has scripts published by Playscripts including an adaptation of Secret Garden that is pretty widely produced and was the first children's show playing at B Street when I started there.  With Nostros, La Gente he now has two shorter works that he may develop into full length plays, the other being A Murder of Crowe (pictured left) which was a ten-minute play detailing some of the stories behind the Charles Manson murders.  Catch one of Jerry's shows (details below) while they're running, and you can catch Jerry online at JerryRMontoya.com and on twitter @jermontoya.

Shows to see:

• OPENING: The Conductor: Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad by Jerry R. Montoya at B Street Theatre, part of the Family Series.  Opens January 29, with shows every Saturday and Sunday at 1pm and 4pm.
• CONTINUING THROUGH 2/7: Old City Cemetary Plays at City Theatre.  Marcus Crowder's write up in the Bee has play descriptions and show times.
• THROUGH 2/13: The excellent Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow at B Street, I blogged about it here.
• COMING SOON: New Helvetia Theatre's tick, tick... Boom! opens February 3, coinciding with the Broadway tour of Rent coming to Sacramento.
• ONGOING: Graham Sobelman's Graham-A-Rama Cabaret is every Sunday night, and this weekend is a special one year anniversary show.  And don't miss the February 21 show featuring Peter Story.

The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow

Last night I saw 'The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow' by Rolin Jones at B Street Theatre.  It's a great play - you should go see it.  This blog post is not a review, more just a plug for the show, then a collection of random musings on theatre that I was reminded of by the show.

 

BUT FIRST: Go see this show. I heartily recommend it.  A warning, it has F-bombs and discussion of sex, so it's not for kids or those with sensitive ears.  It's gotten great reviews so far - the News & Review gave it's highest rating, noting the "clever dialogue, tight direction, an imaginative set and a talented cast with an impressive breakout performance by Sylvia Kwan," and the Sacramento Bee bestowed the coveted four stars, saying the show "has an intensity as refreshing as it is bracing."  I can tell you as the former marketing director of B Street Theatre that with reviews like these, and buzz building for the show, you should get to it soon because it's likely to be a solid hit.  In fact, I went to opening night on the wait list but it was so full I didn't get in, and it was a packed house last night when I went. Plus, DEAL ALERT: If you have a student ID, you can get a $5 student rush ticket on the night of the show at B Street, if space is available.

 

Congrats to the whole cast - my friends David Pierini, Greg Alexander, and Sylvia Kwan; Carolyn Howarth who I've seen in tons of stuff but have never met, and Mayette Villanueva who's new to me.  And of course, Joe Styron, who got great reviews ("excellently understated" and "endearing") and is my good friend, housemate and collaborator on Sacramentjoe.  Joe's been at B Street for two and a half years, first as an intern then as an Artistic Associate.  He's done roles in 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer' & 'Rumpelstiltskin' and performed as an understudy for half a dozen roles, more than anyone else at B Street in the last few years.  It's great to see him get a role like this and really shine in it.  Congrats, Joe... maybe I'll read that sketch you sent me a year ago...

[More ramblings about theatre after the cut]

Shows to See in Sacramento

This edition is as much "here's what's on my Sacramento theatre to-do list" as it is out-and-out recommendations:

• OPENING: The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow by Rolin Jones at B Street Theatre.  Excited to see Joe Styron (of Sacramentjoe fame) tread the boards again.  Marcus Crowder, the Bee's theatre critic, has a nice preview feature article that ran in Friday's paper.

• UPCOMING: The New Helvetia Theatre is bringing back Jonathan Larson's pre-Rent musical tick, tick... Boom! and it coincides with the touring Broadway production of Rent.  I blogged about it here.
• ONGOING: Every Sunday, Graham Sobelman puts on a show, called Graham-A-Rama Caberet. He fronts a cool three piece combo and features great musical theatre performers. Often there's a theme to the evening. This weekend's edition features T. Patrick Van and Brad Bong and the title is "Do You Know Who We Are?" Me, I do know Brad and enjoyed his Bud Frump in Sac State's How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying last year. If you haven't seen Graham-A-Rama before, check it out. It's a blast. I'm particularly looking forward to upcoming appearances by Maggie Hollinbeck (January 24 in "Who Would Maggie Go Gay For?") and Peter Story (February 21 in "A Story Before Bedtime"). Oh! And you can check out past performances on the Graham-A-Rama YouTube page.

Shows to See in Sacramento

Here are some shows in Sacramento I recommend seeing:

• FINAL WEEKEND: Bat Boy: The Musical at Sacramento State.  I wrote a review on my blog here. Amanda Morish and Peter J. Carroll are great, and you can get tickets for as cheap as $5 this weekend.

• I Am My Own Wife at B Street Theatre (closes 11/7). Bee critic Marcus Crowder calls it a "riveting production" with an "astonishing performance by Greg Alexander" and I totally agree.

• tick, tick... BOOM! at New Helvetia Theatre (through 11/14).  A great production of Jonathan Larson's pre-Rent musical. Patti Roberts in the News & Review says it has a "winning combination of a superbly talented cast, a strong and inventive directing team, and a first-rate live cabaret band. [full disclosure: I helped with publicity for this show and took their press photos]

Upcoming (shows I'm planning on seeing):

• Capital Stage's Speech & Debate (through 11/8)

• New interns have arrived at the B Street Theatre, so I plan on checking out their weekly Wednesday post-show performances, which I blogged about previously here because I believe it's Sacramento's best theatre bargain.  These performances should resume 11/11, but call the B Street box office at (916) 443-5300 to confirm.

• Broadway Sacramento presents Spring Awakening (11/4 through 11/15).  I mentioned this on Facebook and Twitter, since I know almost nothing about the show.  Consensus was, "go see it!" so I am.... here's a promo video for the show:
  
   
  

Also, for one of the best online guides to what's playing in town, check out Sacramento365.com.

Shows to see in Sacramento

Here are some shows in Sacramento I recommend seeing.

• Actor's Theatre of Sacramento - Blackbird (closes 3/22, Sac Bee review here)
• Sacramento State - How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (closes 3/29, my review here)
• Broadway Sacramento - Avenue Q (closes 3/22, reviews from SN&R and Capital Public Radio)

Here are some shows I plan on seeing in the next week (and will post about them here):

• B Street Theatre - Sexy Laundry
• Sacramento Theatre Company - The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Abridged
• Foothill Theatre Company - Sylvia
• B Street Theatre - Acting Interns' Wednesday Monologue Performance (I blogged about it here)

Also, I highly recommend checking out seeaplay.com for complete theatre listings from League of Sacramento Theatres.

Sacramento's best theatre bargain

Here's a tip for some great FREE THEATRE here in Sacramento.  Every Tuesday and Wednesday night at the B Street Theatre, the acting interns present a short performance of either improv or monologues after the mainstage performance.  This performance is totally free and the audience is usually made up of patrons who were at the show beforehand.  But, you're welcome to show up just for the free intern performance.

Tuesday is improv night, and the performance is usually about 30 minutes long, and it's improv games presented in a competitive format.

Wednesday is monologue night, where interns perform audition pieces they will use as professional actors.  Usually 20 minutes long.

If you want to catch them in the next month, through April 10th they'll be going on after the B Street's show Sexy Laundry, which gets out around 7:45pm (so that's the "start" time of the intern performance).  Who are these interns?  They're almost all recent college grads pursuing acting as a career.  They work for ten months at the B Street Theatre, doing lots of grunt work in exchange for training and the opportunity to perform in shows at the B Street.  Former interns show up frequently on stage (in Sacramento and all over the country), as well as in film and television - like two weeks ago when Tate Hanyok appeared on The Office and ER in the same night!  You can check out the current intern company, with pictures and bios here.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

DAYS
Tuesdays - free improv performance, approximately 30 minutes
Wednesdays - free monologue performance, approximately 20 minutes

TIME
Directly following the mainstage show. (7:45pm for the current run through 4/10/09 - but you can always call B Street Theatre's box office 916-443-5300 to check the time)

LOCATION
B Street Theatre, 2711 B Street in Midtown Sacramento (map)

PRICE
Free!

The PR guy's quandary

There's that oft-quoted line, "there's no such thing as bad publicity."  I was thinking about that in regards to this item ("Layoffs hit two Sacramento theaters") which was posted to the Bee's website and will, I assume run in tomorrow's print edition.  It mentions my layoff from B Street Theatre along with cuts at Sacramento Theatre Company.  Times continue to be tough.

Is it bad publicity?  Possibly for B Street and STC - though I hope not.  I hope only good comes from it (maybe people will clamor to make donations!).  Funny thing, I'm still in PR/Marketing mode - just texted someone to pick up the hard copy for me (I'm out of town), wondering what the placement will be in the paper, will it be in the arts or business section?

Oh, if you're hearing about my layoff for the first time, um, sorry I didn't tell you, and (1) I'm OK, (2) I'm staying in Sacramento and (3) I'm looking for work if you know of anything.  I'll post more later and talk to you soon.

I was wondering who said "there's no such thing as bad publicity" - I had assumed it was P.T. Barnum.  But it was actually Irish playwright Brendan Behan who said it, and the complete quote is:

"There is no such thing as bad publicity except your own obituary."

Almost, Maine @ B Street Theatre

The Sacramento Bee's review of Almost, Maine by John Cariani ran on Tuesday 6/10/08 and included these two photos:

Peter Story and Elisabeth Nunziato

John Lamb and Amy Resnick

The Swan

swan_81
Originally uploaded by bstreet_photos

Today's Sacramento Bee has a review of The Swan which includes the above photo.  It's perhaps my favorite photo from a show that I've taken in a long time.

Tom Sawyer photo

This photo appears in today's Sacramento Bee, in the Ticket section's "Seven Things to do this weekend."  We're also running an ad that features another photo from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (the one with Tom and Huck in the graveyard), so it should be a good weekend for coverage of the show.  All four press shots from this show can be viewed on the B Street Theatre's flickr gallery here.

Lindsay Carter as Becky Thatcher and Travis Beaty as Tom Sawyer, photo by Brian Kameoka